Coverings for architectural openings with cord lock

ABSTRACT

A cord-lock system for use in coverings for architectural openings and adapted to lock a control cord of the opening in any desired position includes a lock member that is pivotal about an axis parallel to the head rail of the covering with the lock member being movable between locked and unlocked positions by movement of the cord in a vertical plane perpendicular to the head rail. A cover plate pivotally overlying the lock member and operatively connected to the lift cords is also moved between locked and unlocked positions by movement of the lift cords in a manner that assures movement of the lock member between its locked and unlocked positions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) toU.S. provisional patent application No. 60/764,137 (“the '137application”), which was filed on Jan. 31, 2006 and entitled “Coveringsfor Architectural Openings With Cord Lock.” The '137 application isincorporated by reference into the present application in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to coverings for architecturalopenings and more particularly to a cord lock which might be used forexample on a lift cord for moving a covering between extended andretracted positions.

2. Description of the Relevant Art

Coverings for architectural openings have assumed numerous forms formany years but the more popular forms of such coverings are retractableso as to be movable between an extended position across thearchitectural opening and a retracted position adjacent one or moresides of the opening. Examples of such retractable coverings arevenetian blinds, vertical blinds, collapsible cellular shades, roll upshades, and the like.

In most any retractable covering for architectural openings, cords areutilized in the operation of the shade with an example being a lift cordwhich might extend from a bottom rail of the covering through a headrail to a hand-manipulated tassel. Other cords used in operatingretractable coverings might simply extend from a hand manipulatabletassel to a control mechanism in a head rail for the covering so thathand movement of the tassel moves the cord in a desired operation of thecovering. In many instances, it is desired to retain the cord, be it alift cord or other control cord used in coverings, at a preselectedposition and, accordingly, cord locks have been devised and utilized formany years.

Typical cord locks include a pivotal lock member through which the cordpasses with the lock member swinging between locked and unlockedpositions depending upon a predetermined movement and orientation of thecord. Typically, the lock member pivots about an axis that extendsperpendicularly to the architectural opening in which the covering ismounted so that movement of the cord in operation of the cord lock is ina plane parallel with the architectural opening. Such movement is notalways convenient as the operator of the covering may be forced tooperate the covering from a position not immediately adjacent to thecovering. Accordingly, improvements in such lock mechanisms arecontinually being investigated by those skilled in the art.

It is to provide a covering for architectural openings with an improvedcord-lock mechanism, that the present invention has been developed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cord lock of the present invention may be incorporated into theheadrail of a covering for an architectural opening at an end thereof.The cord lock includes a pivot shaft extending in parallel relationshipwith the length of the head rail with the pivot shaft being mounted on afixed plate at the end of the head rail. A lock member is pivotallymounted on the pivot shaft with the lock member including a pair ofsubstantially mutually perpendicular plate portions defining a gaptherebetween through which a cord is passed. The lock member is pivotalbetween locked and unlocked positions about the pivot shaft. The cordpasses freely through the gap in the lock member in the unlockedposition but passes through a tortuous path through the lock member whenin the locked position. In the locked position, the cord is pinched asit passes through the gap thereby preventing it from movement.

As will be appreciated, since the lock member is pivoted about a shaftparallel with the length of the head rail, the cord can be used tooperate the cord lock by moving the cord within a vertical planeperpendicular to the pivot shaft and the architectural opening.

A cover plate is pivotally mounted on the end of the head rail also formovement between locked and unlocked positions and the cord passesthrough a hole in the cover plate so that movement of the cord whilemoving the lock member between locked and unlocked positions also movesthe cover plate between locked and unlocked positions.

The cover plate is biased toward its locked position but that bias canbe overcome by movement of the cord in a direction to unlock the lockmember. Upon releasing the cord, the cover plate is allowed to return toits locked position pulling the cords therewith in a direction thatpulls the lock member to its locked position. Accordingly, the entirecord lock system is biased toward a locked position, but can be releasedtherefrom by movement of the cord in a direction perpendicularly awayfrom the head rail and the architectural opening in which the coveringis mounted.

The cord lock can be used in association with single or multiple cords.Further, single or multiple cord locks can be incorporated into acovering in accordance with the invention to selectively lock and unlockcords associated with different movements of the covering.

Other aspects, features, and details of the present invention can bemore completely understood by reference to the following detaileddescription of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with thedrawings and from the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric of a top down/bottom up retractable covering foran architectural opening incorporating a pair of cord locks inaccordance with the present invention with the covering being shown in afully extended position.

FIG. 2 is an isometric similar to FIG. 1 showing the covering in a fullyretracted position.

FIG. 3 is an isometric showing the covering of FIG. 1 with the bottomrail fully extended and the middle rail partially extended.

FIG. 4 is an isometric of the covering of FIG. 1 with the middle railfully retracted and the bottom rail partially extended.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of the covering of FIG. 1 with the coverplate and cord lock of the invention in a locked position.

FIG. 6 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 5 showing the cover plate andcord lock in an unlocked position.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 8-8 of FIG.3.

FIG. 9 is an exploded rear isometric of the head rail of the covering ofFIG. 1 incorporating a cord lock at each end thereof.

FIG. 10 is an exploded rear isometric of the middle rail of the coveringof FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is an isometric of a cord anchor in its molded form that isassociated with the middle rail.

FIG. 12 is an exploded rear isometric of the bottom rail of the coveringof FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is an exploded rear isometric of the right cord lock system.

FIG. 14 is an exploded rear isometric of the left cord lock system.

FIG. 15 is an exploded front isometric of the left cord lock system ofFIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a vertical section through the cord lock mounted in the endof the headrail as viewed from the rear.

FIG. 17 is a vertical section through the cord lock mounted in the endof the headrail similar to FIG. 16 with lift cords included.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 18-18 ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged section taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 18 showingthe cord lock at the left end of the headrail as viewed from the rear ina locking position.

FIG. 20 is a section similar to FIG. 19 showing the cord lock in anintermediate position.

FIG. 21 is a section similar to FIG. 19 showing the cord lock in anunlocked position.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged section similar to FIG. 19 showing the cord lockat the right end of the headrail, as viewed from the rear, in a lockedposition.

FIG. 23 is a section similar to FIG. 22 showing the cord lock in anintermediate position.

FIG. 24 is a section similar to FIG. 22 showing the cord lock in anunlocked position.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 25-25 ofFIG. 18.

FIG. 26 is a plan view showing the interior of an alternative coverplate utilizing a leaf spring.

FIG. 27 is an elevation similar to FIG. 26 showing the leaf spring in analternate position.

FIG. 28 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 28-28 ofFIG. 26.

FIG. 29 is an enlarged section taken along line 29-29 of FIG. 26.

FIG. 30 is an isometric similar to FIG. 1 showing an alternativecovering including the cord locks of the present invention wherein thecovering has headrail and a bottom rail but no middle rail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A retractable top down/bottom up covering 32 for an architecturalopening is shown in FIGS. 1-4 for purposes of illustrating anenvironment for use of a cord lock system 34 in accordance with thepresent invention. The covering shown in FIGS. 1-4 can be seen toinclude a head rail 36 suspendable from a frame (not shown) adjacent toan architectural opening (not shown) by a pair of mounting brackets 38,a bottom rail 40, a middle rail 42, and a panel of fabric material 44extending between the middle rail and the bottom rail. The bottom railis raised and lowered between extended and retracted positions by a cordsystem 46 including a pair of lift cords 54 a and 54 b, one associatedwith each end of the bottom rail, which is manipulated with a handtassel 56 at one end of the headrail. The cord lock system or mechanismin accordance with the present invention is associated with the liftcords for the bottom rail at the associated end of the head rail as willbe described in more detail hereafter. A second cord system 52 with apair of lift cords 48 a and 48 b associated with the middle rail isattached to the middle rail adjacent its ends with the cords havingtheir opposite ends secured to a hand manipulatable tassel 50 adjacentthe opposite end of the head rail.

The operation of the top down/bottom up covering 32 is illustratedgenerally in FIGS. 1-4 with the covering being shown in FIG. 1 havingthe bottom rail 40 fully extended and the middle rail 42 fully retractedso the panel of material 44 is extended completely across anarchitectural opening (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows the covering 32 with both the bottom rail 40 and middlerail 42 fully retracted so the panel of material 44 is substantiallyconcealed from view. FIG. 3 shows the bottom rail fully extended and themiddle rail partially extended so the panel of material extends onlyacross a lower portion of the architectural opening. FIG. 4 shows thecovering with the middle rail fully retracted and the bottom rail onlypartially extended so the panel of material extends only across an upperportion of the architectural opening.

As will be appreciated with the description of the cord-lock system 34hereafter and for purposes of illustration, a system 34 is disposed ateach end of the head rail 36 with each system being identical eventhough the cords associated with each cord lock system are used forindependently moving the middle rail 42 and bottom rail 40 respectively.The lock systems, as will be apparent, are designed to selectively gripor not grip the cords 48 a, 48 b and 54 a, 54 b passing therethroughdepending upon the position of the cord lock. The cord lock is movedbetween locking and unlocking positions as illustrated generally inFIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 5, the cord-lock system is shown in a lockedposition with the cords 54 a and 54 b and the associated tassel 56hanging substantially vertically with FIG. 6 showing the cords andassociated tassel having been pulled outwardly in a vertical planeperpendicular to the length of the head rail to release the lock so thecords can slide freely therethrough in a manner to be describedhereafter. As will also be appreciated from FIG. 6, the tassel 56 can beraised or lowered but when the cord lock associated therewith is in alocked position, as shown in FIG. 5, the cords will not slide throughthe lock and the tassel is therefore fixed and cannot be pulleddownwardly or raised. When the cord lock is unlocked, however, asillustrated in FIG. 6, the tassel and associated cords can be pulleddownwardly to raise either the bottom rail to which the cords areattached and raised or elevated to allow the bottom rail to which thecords are attached to drop by gravity. Of course, once the bottom railis in a desired position relative to the architectural opening forreleasable placement or fixation, the tassel is simply allowed to bepivoted back to the locked position of the cord lock shown in FIG. 5which prevents the cord from moving and thus releasably fixes the bottomrail spatially within the architectural opening. The cords 48 a and 48 bas well as the tassel 50 associated with the middle rail operate in thesame manner.

While the cord lock system 34 of the present invention can be utilizedto releasably fix or lock any cord in a covering for architecturalopenings, for purposes of the present disclosure, the cord has beenillustrated as a lift cord for a collapsible panel 44. The panel itselfcould be any retractable or collapsible panel of material such as avenetian blind, collapsible cellular shade, or the like, but forpurposes of the present disclosure, it has been illustrated as acollapsible fabric of the type disclosed in detail in Internationalapplication No. PCT/US2004/043043 (Publication Nos. WO 2005/062875 A2and WO 2005/062875 A3), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

The material 44 is probably best illustrated by reference to FIGS. 7 and8 to include a support structure 58 anchored at its upper end to themiddle rail 42 and at its lower end to the bottom rail 40 and has aplurality of semi-rigid arcuate vanes 60 suspended from opposite facesof the support structure in overlapping relationship. The supportstructure might be a sheer fabric, a plurality of spaced microfibers,cords, or the like, with the vanes preferably being made of a fabricmaterial or fabric cover material for pleasing aesthetics. As will beappreciated, the panel of collapsible material 44 extends only betweenthe middle rail and the bottom rail. The middle rail is operablyconnected to its associated tassel 50 with the lift cords 48 a and 48 bextending from the middle rail 42 through the head rail 36 and itsassociated cord-lock system 34, and the bottom rail 40 is connected toits tassel 56 with the lift cords 54 a and 54 b extending through thehead rail and its associated cord-lock system 34.

With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the components of the head rail 36 andthe lock system 34 are seen. The head rail includes an extrudedelongated bar 62 of aluminum, plastic, or the like. As can also beappreciated by reference to FIG. 7, the cross section of the head raildefines an upper vertically oriented rectangular passage 64, a C-shapedgroove 66 to the right of the passage and a downwardly openinghorizontally oriented rectangular notch 68. The C-shaped groove receivesa protective plastic valence member 70 that hangs downwardly to overliea portion of the covering material 44 when the covering is fullyretracted as seen in FIG. 7. The vertically oriented rectangular passage64 and the horizontally oriented rectangular notch 68 are adapted toreceive components of the lock system as will be described hereafter.

FIGS. 10 and 11 disclose the middle rail 42 from its rear side and itsassociated components and it will again be appreciated the middle railincludes an extruded elongated rigid member 72 of aluminum, plastic, orthe like. The extrusion has a downwardly opening generally rectangularlyshaped slot 74 that receives decorative end caps 76 having a male plug78 for receipt in the slot. The slot opens downwardly along the lengthof the middle rail so as to receive cord guide inserts 80 having twovertical passages 82 therethrough. Both vertical passages have adownwardly directed cylindrical neck 84 and one of the passages has araised oval neck 86. The vertical passage having the oval neck is usedwith the middle rail of the present invention to receive lift cords in amanner to be described in detail hereafter with the other verticalpassage actually being a dummy passage having no use in the coveringillustrated.

The cord guide insert 80 in its molded form is shown in FIG. 11 toinclude the insert and a pair of breakaway plugs 88 with one of theplugs being insertable in the bottom of the insert for a purpose to bedescribed hereafter. The other plug has no use in the coveringillustrated. The insert 80 itself has longitudinally extending ribs 90on opposite sides thereof to establish a friction grip with the interiorof the downwardly opening slot in the middle rail to assist in retainingthe insert in the slot.

FIG. 12 shows the bottom rail 40 from the rear side in an exploded viewwith the bottom rail being substantially identical to the bottom raildisclosed and described in detail in International application No.PCT/US2004/043043 (Publication Nos. WO 2005/062875 A2 and WO 2005/062875A3), which has previously been incorporated herein by reference. Thebottom rail can be seen to include another elongated extrusion 92 ofaluminum, plastic, or the like, having an upwardly opening channel 94with overhanging lips 96, a pair of outwardly flared side walls 98 and apair of depending legs 100 defining a channel 102 therebetween. Thechannel defined between the depending legs is adapted to receive aballast bar 104 of cylindrical configuration and a pair of fingeroperable clips 106 are adapted to be positioned in the channel atopposite ends of the ballast bar and moved longitudinally with theballast bar within the channel to position the ballast bar at anydesired location along the length of the extrusion. Use of a ballast barin the bottom rail of retractable coverings is a known expedient forassuring a horizontal orientation of the bottom rail regardless of theposition of the covering so the covering always hangs vertically withinthe architectural opening.

A pair of pivotal finger locks 108 are adapted to be received in theupwardly opening channel 94 and are operable to secure one end of a liftcord 54 a or 54 b as will be described in more detail hereafter and asis described in the aforenoted international application. A dummy vane110 of generally airfoil configuration conforming generally in shape tothe semi-rigid vanes 60 on the covering fabric 44 and which ispreferably made of the same material as the semi-rigid vanes issuspended from the extrusion within a protective outer transparent ortranslucent plastic cover 112 having inwardly directed barbs 114 alongits open top. The dummy vane 110 within the plastic cover is insertableinto the space between the flared side walls 98 and the depending legs100 with the barbs being caught on a ledge 116 defined on an outersurface of the depending legs. End caps 118 conforming generally inconfiguration to the cross-section of the dummy vane are insertable intoopen ends of the vane and are maintained in the open ends of theextrusion by male plugs 120 generally conforming in configuration to theupwardly opening channel 94 of the extrusion and the downwardly openingchannel 102.

As mentioned previously, the fabric or covering material 44 extendsbetween the middle rail 42 and the bottom rail 40 and includes thesupport structure 58 in the form of sheer fabric, microfibers, cords, orthe like, which supports the plurality of semi-rigid arcuatehorizontally extending vanes 60 off opposite sides of the supportstructure. With reference to FIG. 25, the middle rail is shown in crosssection with the fabric material being supported in an outwardly openingchannel 122 provided along the left side of the middle rail as viewed inFIG. 25. An anchor bar 124, having the top of the support structurewrapped therearound, is inserted into the channel and is held in placeby overhanging lips 126. A C-shaped channel 128 on the opposite side ofthe middle rail, which would face the exterior of a room of the buildingstructure in which the covering is mounted, supports a second relativelyrigid valence member 130 that is overlapped by the previously describedvalence member 70 of the head rail. The valence members are intended toprotect the fabric material 44 and obscure from view the uppercomponents of the covering 32.

The lower end of the support structure 58 for the fabric 44 isadhesively secured to one side wall 98 of the bottom rail 40 as probablybest seen in FIG. 7. A strip 132 of double-faced adhesive can be used sothat one face of the adhesive strip is secured to a flared side wall 98of the bottom rail and the other face of the adhesive to the supportstructure 58.

Also, as mentioned previously, the lift cords for operating the coveringin cooperation with the cord lock of the present invention include liftcords 48 a and 48 b associated with the middle rail 42 and lift cords 54a and 54 b associated with the bottom rail 40. For purposes of thepresent disclosure, there are a pair of lift cords associated with themiddle rail and a second pair of lift cords associated with the bottomrail with the lift cords being connected to the middle rail and thebottom rail at locations spaced inwardly a short distance from each endof the respective rails. Further, as mentioned previously, for purposesof the present disclosure, the lift cords 48 a and 48 b associated withthe middle rail are raised and lowered with a tassel 50 at one end ofthe head rail (the right end as viewed in FIG. 9) and the lift cords 54a and 54 b associated with the bottom rail are raised and lowered by atassel 56 at the opposite end of the head rail (the left end as viewedin FIG. 9).

With reference first to the lift cords 48 a and 48 b associated with themiddle rail 42 and as seen in the rear view of FIG. 9, both cords havean upper end anchored in the associated tassel 50 in a conventionalmanner such as by knotting the ends of the cords and the cordssubsequently pass upwardly through the associated cord lock system ormechanism 34 of the present invention at the right end of the head railand one cord 48 b drops downwardly adjacent the right end of the headrail as viewed in FIG. 9 and is connected to the middle rail adjacent tothe corresponding right end of the middle rail. The other lift cord 48 aextends horizontally across through the head rail 36 and dropsdownwardly out of the head rail adjacent its opposite end and passesdownwardly for connection to the middle rail adjacent to thecorresponding left end of the middle rail.

Similarly, the tassel 56 at the left end of the head rail associatedwith the lift cords 54 a and 54 b for the bottom rail 40 has the upperend of two lift cords secured thereto as by knotting the ends of thecords in a conventional manner and the cords extend upwardly and thenhorizontally through the associated cord lock mechanism 34 at the leftend of the head rail as viewed in FIG. 9 before one of the lift cords 54a extends downwardly and is connected to the associated left end of thebottom rail after slidably passing through the middle rail 42. The otherlift cord 54 b associated with the left tassel extends horizontallyacross the head rail 36 to a location near its opposite left end andthen passes downwardly through the middle rail to the bottom railadjacent to the right end of the bottom rail. It will be appreciatedmore fully with the description hereafter that as the tassels are pulleddownwardly, the lower ends of the lift cords associated with the middlerail or bottom rail are pulled upwardly in unison so that the middlerail or bottom rail is raised in a horizontal orientation.

Referring to FIG. 12, the lift cords 54 a and 54 b, which have theirlower ends adjacent to the opposite ends of the bottom rail 40, areshown in an operative relationship with the finger locks 108. The lowerends of the lift cords pass around an end of an associated finger lockand underneath the finger lock with the finger lock thereafter beingpositioned within the upwardly opening channel 94 of the bottom rail andpivoted about pivot fingers 134 at one end thereof until the fingerlocks lie totally within the upwardly opening channel 94 and arefrictionally retained therein with the lower ends of the lift cords.Accordingly, and as mentioned previously, when the tassel 56 associatedwith the lift cords is pulled downwardly, the lower ends of the liftcords are raised thereby raising the bottom rail and consequently thelower edge of the fabric material 44 secured thereto. Allowing thetassel associated with the lift cords to be elevated permits the weightof the bottom rail to pull the lift cords downwardly by gravity therebylowering the lower edge of the fabric panel. As mentioned previously,the inserts 80 associated with the middle rail as seen in FIGS. 10 and11 have the passage 82 therethrough through which the lift cords 54 aand 54 b can slidably pass. This is probably best appreciated byreference to FIG. 18. FIG. 18 also shows the end of the lift cord 54 aconnected to its associated finger lock 108 and secured in the upwardlyopening channel 94 of the bottom rail.

As seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, the lift cords 48 a and 48 b associated withthe tassel 50 at the right end of the head rail 36 as viewed in the rearview of FIG. 9 are anchored at their lower ends to the middle rail 42with the insert 80 and associated plug 88. The lift cords are insertedinto associated openings 136 which receive the neck 86 of the insert 80through the top of the middle rail and into the associated insert. Liftcord 48 a is secured to the insert 80 with the plug 88 as best seen inFIG. 18. The lift cord 48 b is secured in the insert 80 at the right endof the middle rail in an identical manner even though it is notillustrated. As will be appreciated by reference to FIG. 18, the inserthas an elbow channel 138 formed therein which communicates with theassociated vertical passage 82 through the insert and the end of thelift cord 48 a is inserted into the elbow channel and retained thereinby friction with the plug 88 that is inserted into the elbow channelfrom beneath the middle rail. In this manner, the lower end of the liftcord 48 a is secured to the associated left end of the middle rail andthe lift cord 48 b is connected to the middle rail in an identicalmanner adjacent to the right end of the middle rail. Accordingly, bypulling the tassel 50 associated with the lift cords 48 a and 48 bdownwardly, the middle rail can be raised thereby raising the upper edgeof the panel of fabric material 44 as well. Of course, by allowing thetassel 50 to be raised, the middle rail will drop by gravity therebylowering the upper edge of the panel similarly.

The cord lock system 34 is probably best seen in FIGS. 13-15 and isdesigned to selectively grip the lift cords at any desired locationalong their length so that the middle rail 42 or bottom rail 40 of thecovering can be desirably positioned within the architectural opening.As will be appreciated with the description that follows, the cord locksystem can be positioned in a locking (FIG. 19) or unlocking (FIG. 21)position with the cord being slidable therethrough in the unlockingposition and prevented from movement in the locking position.

The cord lock system 34 can be seen to include a flat plate-like portion140 of generally triangular configuration so as to define two outwardlyflared side edges 142 and a pivot shaft 144 at its apex on which a coverplate 146 (FIGS. 16-25) can be pivotally mounted. The pivot shaftprotrudes a slight distance away from the outer face of the plateportion and beneath the pivot shaft is a cylindrical recess 148 thatreceives a magnet 150 which can be adhesively secured in place.

A relatively thick portion 152 of the cord lock system protrudes fromthe rear face of the plate portion 140 with the relatively thick portionsupporting an upper vertically oriented rectangular plug 154 havingprotruding ribs 156 on opposite sides thereof and a lower bifurcatedplug 158. The rectangular plug is adapted to be received in the open endof the vertically oriented rectangular passage 64 through the extendedbar 62 of the head rail 36 and the bifurcated plug 158 is adapted to bereceived in the open end of the downwardly opening notches of theextrusion. This is probably best illustrated in FIG. 9. The bifurcatedarms of the plug have a pair of transverse passages 160 at their distalend with the passages adapted to receive first 162 and second 164horizontally disposed pivot pins. As can also be appreciated, when thecord lock system is mounted in the end of the head rail in a verticalorientation, the plate portion 140 of the cord lock system is skewed soas to form a small acute angle with vertical. As probably best seen inFIG. 13, a lower segment of the relatively thick portion 152 of the cordlock has a horizontal pocket 166 formed therein which opens through thefront face of the plate portion. The pocket is adapted to receive athird 168 horizontally disposed pivot pin with the pivot pins, as willbe described later, serving to guide the routing and movement of thelift cords associated with the cord lock system.

A lock member 170, as probably best seen in FIGS. 13 and 15, ispivotally mounted on a fourth 172 pivot pin secured in a hole 174through the relatively thick portion 152 of the cord lock so as toextend in parallel relationship with the length of the head rail 36. Anotch or seat 176 is formed in the plate portion 140 adjacent to thelock member 170 to limit pivotal movement of the lock member in onedirection as will be apparent with the description that follows.

The lock member 170 includes a base component 178 having a base or endplate 180 and a pair of upstanding plate-like pivotal legs or lever arms182 with the legs having two pair 184 and 186 of aligned openingstherethrough with one pair 184 of openings adapted for receipt of thefourth 172 pivot pin. The base plate 180 is disposed substantiallytangentially to an arc in which said base plate moves about the fourthpivot pin. The other pair 186 of openings pivotally receive a fifthpivot pin 188 that passes through openings in a pair of pivot arms 190of a pivot element 192 with the pivot element having a bottom or guideplate 194 that is substantially perpendicular with the base plate 180 ofthe lock member. The bottom plate 194 is disposed substantiallytangentially to an arc in which said bottom plate moves about the fifthpivot pin 188.

A gap 196 (FIGS. 19-24) is defined between the base plate 180 and thebottom plate 194 through which the lift cords pass as will be describedhereafter. As will be appreciated, the pivot element 192 is adapted topivot relative to the base component 178 of the lock member 170 whichfacilitates desired movement of the lock member between locking andunlocking positions.

The cover plate 146 for the cord lock is probably best seen in FIG. 9 tocomprise a generally airfoil shaped element with a raised inwardlydirected rim 198. A hole or opening 200 is provided through the rim at apointed lower edge of the cover plate, and a circular passage 202 isprovided through the opposite or upper end of the cover plate so thatthe cover plate can be pivotally seated on the pivot shaft 144. Thecover plate is secured to the pivot shaft with a lock pin 204 having apair of bifurcated arms 206 with catches 208 on their ends so that thepin can be inserted through a cylindrical passage 202 in the cover plateand into a rectangular hole 212 centered in the pivot shaft and retainedtherein by the catches as possibly best seen in FIG. 17. The cover plateis thereby permitted to pivot about the pivot shaft 144 and relative tothe cord lock member between locked and unlocked position with themovement limited by engagement of the rim on the cover plate with theflared side edge of the plate-like portion 140 of the cord lock system.A recess 214 is provided on the inner face of the cover plate to receiveanother magnet 216 which can be adhesively secured therein. The magnetson the cover plate and the plate portion of the cord lock are alignablewhen the cover plate is in its locked position. The cover plate ispivotal between locking (FIG. 19) and unlocking (FIG. 21) positionssimilarly to the lock member 170 and the cover plate is biased towardthe locked position by the magnets which attract each other so that whenthe cover plate is moved to an unlocking position, thereby misaligningthe magnets (FIG. 21), the magnets will attract each other therebyencouraging the cover plate to return to its locked position.

Referring first to the cord lock system 34 at the left end of the headrail 36 as viewed from the rear in FIG. 9, which cooperates with thelift cords 54 a and 54 b associated with the bottom rail 42, as possiblybest seen in FIGS. 9 and 18, the lift cords pass from the bottom rail tothe cord lock system by extension through the middle rail 42 and thenabove the second 164 and third 168 pivot pins and around the third pivotpin before being extended downwardly between the two pivot pins 172 and188 of the lock member 170 and downwardly through the gap 196 betweenthe base plate 180 and bottom plate 194 of the lock member. The cord 54a, which goes to the adjacent end of the bottom rail from the cord locksystem, extends over the second pivot pin 164 and then downwardly sothat it easily slides over the second pivot pin. The lift cord 54 bextends across the top of both the third 168, second 164 and first 162pivot pins and horizontally through the head rail 36 and subsequentlypasses over and downwardly across the first pivot pin 162 of the cordlock system 34 at the opposite or right end of the head rail.

It will be appreciated from the above that the lift cords 54 a and 54 bare free to slide about their respective pivot pins and through the cordlock system 34 as long as the cord lock system is in its unlockedposition which is illustrated in FIG. 24. As can also be appreciated byreference to FIG. 24, in the unlocked position the magnets 150 and 216on the cover plate 146 and the plate portion 140 of the cord lock aremisaligned. In the unlocked position, the lift cords 54 a and 54 bextend in a straight line through the lock member 170 from the thirdpivot pin 168 and thus through an opening 218 in the plate portion andrelatively thick portion 152 of the cord lock. Obviously, the cords arefree to slide in an up and down motion along the longitudinal axis ofthe lift cords by movement of the associated tassel 56. It will also beappreciated the cords establish a significant acute angle from verticaland the acute angle formed by the lift cords is in a vertical planeperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head rail 36 andconsequently to the architectural opening in which the cover is mounted.It should also be appreciated the fourth pivot pin 172 about which thelock member 170 pivots, which determines the direction in which the liftcords are pulled to lock or unlock the system, extends in parallelrelationship with the length of the head rail and therefore in aparallel relationship with the architectural opening in which thecovering is mounted.

Further, when the lift cords 54 a and 54 b are in a straight line fromthe opening 218 in the relatively thick portion 152 through the hole 200at the bottom of the cover plate 146, the cords have forced a pivotalmovement of the cover plate between its locked position as shown forexample in FIG. 22 and the unlocked position of FIG. 24. As will beappreciated from the description that follows, the movement of the liftcords by the tassel 56 effects movement of the cover plate between thelocked and unlocked positions and consequently the lock member 170between its locked and unlocked positions.

When the lift cords 54 a and 54 b are moved from the unlocked positionof FIGS. 24 back toward a more vertical orientation through anintermediate position illustrated in FIG. 23, it will be appreciated thelift cords are no longer straight but bend as they pass through the gap196 in the lock member 170. Further movement of the lift cords toward avertical orientation causes the lock member to pass over center and intoa locking position as seen in FIG. 22 and it will there also beappreciated the magnets 150 and 216 on the cover plate 146 and the plateportion 140 of the cord lock system are aligned to releasably andmagnetically hold the cover plate in the locked position.

In the locked position of FIG. 23, the lift cords 54 a and 54 b are seento pass through a tortuous path as they extend through the lock member170 and the cords become pinched within the gap 196 defined between thebase plate 180 and the bottom plate 196of the lock member. The weight ofthe fabric 44 in addition to the middle 42 and bottom 40 rails of thecovering are pulling on the lift cords and therefore retain the lockmember 170 in the locked position. When it is desired to unlock the cordsystem lock, the lift cords are pivoted counterclockwise as viewed inFIGS. 22 and 23 with the tassel 56, i.e. away from the general verticalorientation of the lift cord shown in FIG. 22 to the more inclinedorientation of FIG. 24. In doing so, the cords pull against the baseplate 180 of the lock member causing the lock member to pivot about thefourth pivot pin 172 until the lock member passes back over center andinto the unlocked position of FIG. 24 where it will remain until thelift cords shift clockwise toward a more vertical orientation.

As mentioned above, the cover plate 146 is biased by the magnets 150 and216 toward the locked position of FIG. 22 where the magnets are alignedand accordingly if the lift cords 54 a and 54 b are released by theoperator of the covering, the cover plate will shift from its unlockedposition of FIG. 24 to its locked position of FIG. 22 simply throughpivotal movement of the cover plate which pulls the lift cords backtoward a more vertical orientation. An identical process occurs at theright end of the head rail as viewed in rear view of FIG. 9 with theprocess for the right end being illustrated in FIGS. 19-21. At the rightend, of course, the lift cords 48 a and 48 b pass through the cord lock34 and cover plate 146 rather than the lift cords 54 a and 54 b asdescribed previously. The lift cords 48 a and 48 b are shown in FIG. 21in an unlocked position of both the cover plate 146 and lock member 170and then the cords pass through the intermediate position of FIG. 20 ontheir way to the locked position of FIG. 19 wherein the lift cords passthrough a tortuous path in their routing through the lock member.

It will be appreciated from the above the cord lock 34 is an over-centersystem dictated by the positioning of the lock member 170 with thepositioning of the lock member being dictated by movement of the liftcords 48 a and 48 b and the cover plate 146. Movement of the cover platetoward the unlocked position of FIG. 21, for example, causes the lockmember to pivot beyond center into a releasably fixed position whereinthe lift cords extend straight through the lock member and are free toslide therethrough as when the associated middle rail 42 is being raisedor lowered. Movement of the cover plate, however, with the lift cordsback toward a more vertical orientation as seen in FIG. 19 causes thelock member to pivot past center in an opposite direction into thelocked position in which it is retained primarily by the weight of thefabric 44 and the middle rail 42 pulling on the lift cords.

It should be appreciated that movement of the tassel 50 and associatedlift cords 48 a and 48 b in moving the cord lock 170 and cover plate 146between locked and unlocked positions is in a vertical planeperpendicular to the head rail 36. Such movement is distinct fromconventional coverings where the tassel and lift cords are moved in avertical plane parallel with the head rail.

It should also be appreciated that while two cord locks systems 34 havebeen described as being used with the covering and with the cord locksystems at opposite ends of the head rail, it will be appreciated withonly minor modifications that would be readily apparent to those skilledin the art that both cord lock systems could be positioned at the sameend of the head rail 36 along with their associated tassels.

In an alternative embodiment of a covering incorporating the cord locksystem of the present invention shown in FIG. 30, the middle rail 42 hasbeen removed so that the fabric material or panel 44 extends from thehead rail 36 directly to the bottom rail 40. Similarly, the cord-locksystem 34 at the right end of the head rail of the first-describedembodiment that is associated with the middle rail 42 has, of course,been removed leaving only a single cord-lock system 34 at the left endof the head rail (or the right end as viewed in FIG. 30) identical tothat previously described. In the alternative embodiment, of course,only lift cords 54 a and 54 b associated with the bottom rail need bemanipulated by a single tassel 56, and the cord-lock system associatedwith the cords 54 a and 54 b, which is not seen, would be the onlycord-lock system necessary for operating the covering in that onlymovement of the bottom rail 40 from a raised retracted position to alower extended position would be necessary.

An alternative cover plate 220 is shown in FIGS. 26-29. In this system,a leaf spring 222 replaces the magnets 150 and 216 of thefirst-described embodiment even though the rest of the cord-lock system34 is identical. In the alternative embodiment of FIGS. 26-29, themagnets are removed and the leaf spring, which can be metal or plastic,extends from an anchored location at its lower end in a bracket 224formed in the cover plate to a bracket 226 formed on the plate portion140 of the cord lock system. The leaf spring can be anchored in thebrackets 224 and 226 with adhesive and as will be appreciated the lengthof the leaf spring between the brackets is greater than the spacingbetween the two brackets themselves so the leaf spring is bowed alongits length. Movement of the cover plate with the lift cords from thelocked position of FIG. 26 to the unlocked position of FIG. 27 causesthe leaf spring to snap into an opposite orientation so that the coverplate can be held in either the locked position of FIG. 26 or theunlocked position of FIG. 27 until that position is overcome by movementof the lift cords, which is not shown.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degreeof particularity, it is understood the disclosure has been made by wayof example, and changes in detail or structure may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims.

1. A covering for an architectural opening movable between extended andretracted positions comprising in combination: an elongated horizontallydisposed upper rail, an elongated bottom rail parallel with said upperrail, a retractable panel extending between said upper rail and bottomrail, and a control system for moving said covering between saidextended and retracted positions, said control system including at leastone lift cord operatively connected at one end to said bottom rail andbeing free at its opposite end, and a pivotal cord lock operativelyassociated with said cord for locking said cord in predeterminedpositions to hold said bottom rail in a predetermined releasably fixedspacing from said upper rail, said cord lock including a lock memberpivotal about a pivot shaft, wherein said pivot shaft extends inparallel relationship with said upper rail.
 2. The covering of claim 1wherein said upper rail has first and second ends and wherein said pivotshaft projects longitudinally from one end of said upper rail.
 3. Thecovering of claim 2 wherein said lock member includes (a) a lever armpivotal about said pivot shaft, (b) a base plate on said lever armdisposed substantially tangentially to an arc in which said base platemoves about said pivot shaft, and (c) a bottom plate disposedsubstantially perpendicularly to said base plate, there being a gapbetween said base plate and bottom plate through which said cordslidably passes.
 4. The covering of claim 3 wherein said lock memberfurther includes a pivot arm pivotally connected to said lever arm andwherein said bottom plate is connected to said pivot arm so as to bedisposed substantially tangentially to an arc in which said bottom platemoves with pivotal movement of said pivot arm.
 5. The covering of claim3 wherein said lock member is pivotal between a locked position and anunlocked position, said covering being movable between said extended andretracted positions when said lock member is in the unlocked positionand is retained in a releasably fixed position when the lock member isin the locked position.
 6. The covering of claim 5 wherein said upperrail has an opening in said one end and said cord extends along thelength of said upper rail and through said opening, and wherein saidcord extends in a straight line from said opening through said lockmember when the lock member is in said unlocked position and extendsalong a tortuous path through said lock member when the lock member isin the locked position.
 7. The covering of claim 6 wherein said lockmember is biased toward said locked position by the weight of saidretractable panel and can be moved to said unlocked position by pullingon said free end of said cord in a predetermined direction to overcomesaid bias.
 8. The covering of claim 7 wherein said cord is straight fromsaid opening in said upper rail through said lock member when extendedin said predetermined direction.
 9. The covering of claim 6 furtherincluding a cover plate pivotally connected to said upper rail at saidone end for pivotal movement about an axis parallel with the length ofsaid upper rail, said cover plate at least partially enclosing said lockmember and having a hole therein through which said cord passes, saidcover plate being pivotally moved between locked and unlocked positionswith said cord extending in a straight line from said opening throughsaid hole when said cover plate is in the unlocked position and along atortuous path when said cover plate is in the locked position.
 10. Thecovering of claim 9 wherein said cover plate is biased toward its lockedposition.
 11. The covering of claim 10 further including a magnet systemwherein said biasing of said cover plate is with said magnet systemwhich includes a magnet operatively connected to said upper rail and amagnet operatively connected to said cover plate with said magnets beingmagnetically connected when said cover plate is in said locked position.12. The covering of claim 10 further including a leaf spring whereinsaid biasing of said cover plate is with said leaf spring which isoperatively associated with said upper rail and said cover plate. 13.The covering of claim 1 wherein said control system includes at leasttwo lift cords with one of said cords being connected to said bottomrail at one end thereof and the other of said lift cords being connectedto the bottom rail at an opposite end thereof.
 14. A covering for anarchitectural opening movable between extended and retracted positionscomprising in combination: an elongated horizontally disposed head rail,an elongated bottom rail parallel with said head rail, an elongatedmiddle rail parallel with said head rail and said bottom rail anddisposed therebetween, a retractable panel extending between said bottomrail and middle rail, and a control system for moving said coveringbetween said extended and retracted positions, said control systemincluding at least one first lift cord operatively connected to saidbottom rail at one end and being free at its opposite end, at least onesecond lift cord operatively connected to said middle rail at one endand being free at its opposite end, and second identical pivotal cordlocks operatively associated with said at least one first and secondlift cords respectively for locking said cords in predeterminedpositions to hold said bottom and middle rails respectively inpredetermined releasably fixed spacings from said head rail, said cordlocks including a lock member pivotal about a pivot shaft, wherein saidpivot shafts extend in parallel relationship with said head rail. 15.The covering of claim 14 wherein said head rail has first and secondends and wherein said pivot shafts project longitudinally from an end ofsaid head rail.
 16. The covering of claim 15 wherein one pivot shaft isat one end of said head rail and the other pivot shaft is at the secondend of said head rail.
 17. The covering of claim 15 wherein said lockmember includes (a) a lever arm pivotal about an associated pivot shaft,(b) a base plate on said lever arm disposed substantially tangentiallyto an arc in which said base plate moves about said associated pivotshaft, and (c) a bottom plate disposed substantially perpendicularly tosaid base plate, there being a gap between said base plate and bottomplate through which an associated cord slidably passes.
 18. The coveringof claim 17 wherein said lock member further includes a pivot armpivotally connected to said lever arm and wherein said bottom plate isconnected to said pivot arm so as to be disposed substantiallytangentially to an arc in which said bottom plate moves with pivotalmovement of said pivot arm.
 19. The covering of claim 17 wherein saidlock member is pivotal between a locked position and an unlockedposition, said covering being movable between said extended andretracted positions when said lock member is in the unlocked positionand is retained in a releasably fixed position when the lock member isin the locked position.
 20. The covering of claim 19 wherein said headrail has a pair of openings therein with said openings being in one orboth ends thereof with one opening associated with said at least onefirst lift cord and the other opening with said at least one second liftcord, said lift cords extending along the length of said head rail andthrough an associated one of said openings, and wherein said cordsextend in a straight line from its associated opening through said lockmember when the lock member is in said unlocked position and extendalong a tortuous path through said lock member when the lock member isin the locked position.
 21. The covering of claim 20 wherein said lockmembers are biased toward said locked position by the weight of saidretractable panel and can be moved to said unlocked position by pullingon said free end of the associated lift cord in a predetermineddirection to overcome said bias.
 22. The covering of claim 21 whereinsaid associated lift cord is straight from its associated opening insaid head rail through its associated lock member when extended in saidpredetermined direction.
 23. The covering of claim 20 further includinga cover plate associated with each cord lock, said cover plates beingpivotally connected to said head rail for pivotal movement about an axisparallel with the length of said head rail, said cover plates at leastpartially enclosing its associated lock member and each cover platehaving a hole therein through which an associated cord passes each ofsaid cover plates being pivotally moved between locked and unlockedpositions with an associated lift cord extending in a straight line fromits associated opening in said head rail through said hole when saidcover plate is in the locked position and along a tortuous path whensaid cover plate is in the locked position.
 24. The covering of claim 23wherein each cover plate is biased toward its locked position.
 25. Thecovering of claim 24 further including a magnet system associated witheach cover plate and wherein said biasing of said cover plates is withsaid magnet system which includes a magnet operatively connected to saidhead rail and a magnet operatively connected to said cover plate withsaid magnets being magnetically connected when said cover plate is insaid locked position.
 26. The covering of claim 24 further including aleaf spring associated with each cover plate and wherein said biasing ofsaid cover plates is with said leaf springs which are operativelyassociated with said head rail and said cover plates.
 27. The coveringof claim 14 wherein said control system includes at least two first liftcords and at least two second lift cords when one of said first liftcords and one of said second lift cords being connected at one end ofsaid bottom rail and middle rail respectively and another of said firstlift cords and said second lift cords being connected to an opposite endof said bottom rail and middle rail respectively.
 28. The covering ofclaim 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 or 27 wherein said firstpivotal cord lock is at one end of said head rail and said secondpivotal cord lock is at the other end of said head rail.